Hailey’s eyes strafed the vestibule. No dead bodies. She came to a stop and puffed out a breath.
“I reckoned you needed help, boss. I already knew you was stuck between Hailey Bailey and that twitchy hyena girl who was ready to scavenge your bones, and then when I spotted Ursula Jones heading to the coffee shop, I knew a bomb was about to detonate and crater this town. I had to come up withsomethingthat sounded disastrous enough you’d come running and they’d take a hike. Thank the god of mud pies I was in the right place at the right time.”
So the woman didn’t die here after all? Hailey’s knees buckled as relief washed over her.
“Yeah, thank the god of mud pies.” The sarcasm in Noah’s tone was unmistakable.
Dixie went on in a clipped tone. “I’m putting my foot down, though. I willnotwork here with hyena girl.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” Now his voice sounded tired.
Hailey stepped into the bar area, where the conversation was taking place, and quickly scanned the floor for bodies. None. She raised her braced hand. “Hi.”
Two heads turned toward her. Noah’s defeated expression transformed with a soft smile, and Dixie pointed a fiery red nail at her. “And Iwillraise a ruckus if you don’t hire the Irish Fräulein.” She bobbed her head, punctuating her declaration.
He covered the few steps separating him and Hailey, pulled her against him in a one-armed hug, and dropped a kiss on her head.
Oh, so we’re doing this in front of everyone now?
He peered at her, tenderness shining in his eyes. “You mean the hoochie mama? I’ll see what I can do.”
Flapping her hand, Dixie turned and walked away. “You work your magic, boss. I’m sure you can convince her better than I can. I expect good news tomorrow.”
“Bye, Dix.” His gaze stayed glued to Hailey’s. “What do you think, surfer girl? Want a job slinging beer?”
“I thought you weren’t hiring anyone.”
“I’m not, but I do have a job foryou.”
“I bet you do.”
“I’m serious. I want to hire you.”
“Do I have to wear the wench getup?”
“Only for me in private. I keep thinking about those little green bows and how I want to untie them with my teeth. Now come here.” That took all of four inches. His hand cradled one side of her face as his mouth moved over hers. He kissed her until they were both out of breath, pulled back, and blinked. “Wow. That gets better every time.”
She pushed off of his chest, putting space between them so she could think straight. “Um, you were saying?”
“Dixie’s getting everything ready for the re-inspect according to your instructions, and I’m expecting we’ll be open for business soon. Luanne’s following the Celtic Knots around the state, which means I’m shorter on staff than usual. The only person I want to hire is the one I’m staring at, and I’m pretty sure she could use the cash.”
Hailey put up her palms in a stop-right-there motion. “Explain about the dead hippie chick first, please.”
His brows crunched together. “Helene? She suffers from dementia, and she escaped and wandered here looking for this special concoction I make for her sometimes—nonalcoholic, but it makes her feel like she’s drinking a hot buttered rum in a ski chalet on the slopes. Who am I to deny the woman that illusion? Anyway, she must have fallen because Reece found her in front, on the sidewalk, and sent her off in an ambulance.”
“So she’s not dead, and she wasn’tinsidethe bar?”
“No and no.”
“Then why did Dixie—”
He rolled those green eyes to the ceiling and back. “She got it in her head I needed saving, so she went for the nuclear option. She took a storyline and colored it in with Dixie markers. It worked too. There’s no trace of Sandy, and Ursula—who knows what Ursula wanted. And who cares?”
“Dixie’s like your own personal fairy godmother … or guard dog.”
He tapped the end of her nose. “You might have noticed she’s pretty fond of you too.”
“She does seem motivated to see us get along.”
